Topeka ? Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger said Tuesday that she would push for a law to prohibit insurers from dropping a homeowner’s policy due to a single catastrophic claim.

“Kansans who buy insurance should not have to worry about having their coverage dropped if they are unlucky enough to be hit by a tornado or hail,” Praeger said.

“That’s precisely the reason we buy insurance,” she added.

Praeger’s office received complaints from about 12 policyholders who lost their coverage after filing damage claims after devastating tornados that hit Kansas last spring.

Scott Holeman, a spokesman for Praeger, said he didn’t know whether any of the dropped policies involved Lawrence residents who filed claims after a May 8 tornado struck the southwest part of town. The storm didn’t cause any deaths or major injuries but did result in $6 million worth of damage.

Praeger said she also would introduce another proposal to prohibit insurers from charging higher premiums after a policyholder makes an inquiry about the policy.

Currently, some insurers require that when consumers call their agents with a question about coverage, that inquiry is logged as a claim. Praeger said.

“We should be able to ask straightforward questions about our coverage or deductible without being penalized,” she said.

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Praeger, a former state senator from Lawrence, said she would try to get approval of the two measures by the Legislature, which starts its 2004 session Monday

“These initiatives are based on input from consumers and agents and are policy changes that will benefit all Kansans,” she said.